We Never Thought We'd Lose You
by ChoCedric
Summary: AU. Ron and Hermione's minds wandered back to all the life-threatening adventures they'd been on with Harry. Now, they thought with breaking hearts, he is alone for this fight. And there was nothing they could do about it.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

We Never Thought We'd Lose You

By: ChoCedric

As Ron and Hermione watch Harry fight Voldemort on Hogwarts' grounds, fear and panic grip them. It is their seventh year, and they know the time for the final battle is here, that only one of the fighters will come out of this alive. Ron and Hermione desperately want to fight with him, by his side, but a barrier was erected by Voldemort so that no one could join the battle.

As they watch him fight, their minds wander back to all the life-threatening adventures they have been through. Ron remembers sacrificing himself in his first year so that Harry could go on to fight whoever was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Hermione can remember hugging Harry and telling him that there was much more to life than books and schoolwork, that friendship was the most important thing of all. They both remember the Chamber of Secrets, even though Hermione only heard about it after the fact. They both recall learning the truth about Sirius Black, being by his side through the Triwizard Tournament, and fighting with him in the Department of Mysteries. But now, they know that Harry is alone for this fight, and it terrifies them more than anything in the world.

The panic multiplies tenfold as they see that their friend is beginning to tire. They can see that he's putting up a tremendous fight, trying to block the spells Voldemort is sending at him, but they feel, with a sickening sense of foreboding, that one of them will hit its target.

And Merlin, oh Merlin, they're right. They watch in horror as their best friend through thick and thin is Disarmed, and the next thing they know, he is on the ground, flailing and writhing under the Cruciatus Curse. His screams punctuate the air, ripping their hearts in two. Hermione buries her face in Ron's shoulder, letting out sobs of anguish. This can't be happening! They always thought Harry could survive anything, that his luck would never run out. But they're being proved wrong right before their eyes.

When the torture ends, Ron and Hermione see that Harry is too weak to stand. Hermione is shaking so hard in Ron's arms, and her knees start to buckle. She finally falls to the grass, Ron kneeling beside her. They know what's about to happen, and they feel like total failures as friends, for there is nothing they can do to stop it. Voldemort raises his wand directly at Harry's heart, and Hermione's screams of "Nooooooo! Harreeeeee!" permeate the battlefield.

Harry looks hopeless and defeated as the wand is leveled at him, and Voldemort screams, "Avada Kedavra!" His two best friends hold each other tight as they watch their everything go limp and still. Once the light has faded, they know that this is reality now, that their best friend has fallen. Harry Potter will never play Quidditch again, never roll his eyes at Hermione's nagging about homework again, never laugh again, never speak again. The hope for the entire wizarding world, and above all, the friend they have always loved, is gone.

Voldemort cruelly dangles Harry's body in the air, proclaiming his victory. The battlefield is filled with jeers from the Death Eaters and the screams and sobs of those on the light side. Voldemort then throws Harry's lifeless body on the ground, and he, along with his Death Eaters, Disapparates away from Hogwarts.

With the barrier now removed, all Harry's supporters go running to his side, Ron and Hermione among them. Hermione points her wand at him, yelling, "Enervate!" over and over again out of desperation. But nothing happens; he remains as still as a statue, his eyes still staring glassily up at the sky. Ron then bellows with rage, "You weren't supposed to die! You were supposed to win!"

It is sudden, the anger that sweeps over Ron. He is so furious that Harry failed. How could he have let the world be ruined, the world he had so much hope for? His emerald eyes used to shine with it, but now they are so, so empty. As Hermione tries to calm him despite her own sobs, Ron stares into them, begging them to blink, to show some sign of movement, but still, there is nothing.

Harry is buried in Godric's Hollow three days later, and Ron and Hermione are numb, in a daze. They know their best friend tried his best, but now the world is going to be ruled by pure evil. They once again think of all the adventures they've ever been through, and they know Harry's luck has finally run out. "We never thought we'd lose you, Harry," Hermione sobs as his casket is lowered into the ground. "We thought you'd make it out of anything. But we love you, Harry, we hope you know that."

And wherever Harry is now, they hope he can hear them. As dirt is thrown on top of the coffin, Ron holds Hermione in his arms. He vows that he'll protect her if it's the last thing he does, and he'll keep fighting so that Harry's death was not in vain. Through all the days to come, he and the bushy-haired girl he is holding will never forget the boy with the famous, lightning-bolt scar.


End file.
